October 4th was my 53rd birthday and what better way to spend it than at a comic show with my bud.
I have been to about 6 Albany cons in the last few years and I have never been unsatisfied with my experience. That can be looked at in both ways. The Albany Con is held at the Holiday Inn on Wolf rd in Albany a couple times a year. At $10 to get in, it is a great bargain for what you get. Many comic and toy dealers, as well as other comic/pop culture merchandise. Add to that several well known artists and writers such as Joe Sinnott, Joe Staton, Paul Harding, Mike Raicht, Tom Raney, Paris Cullins and Ron Marz and others. The show was the first that I had seen where they utilized more of the second floor. A nice large hall was opened in addition to the main convention room. I believe this is superior to the former use of another hall on the first floor which kept all con goers on the same floor. I did hear a couple complaints that there was limited flow into the upstairs vendor room, but I see this as a short term issue. The creators upstairs were enough to pull the crowd up, they just need to get used to the new layout. Some extra directional signage would also help. That is the good stuff. The not so good stuff is that I have never been WOWWED by the show. It seems safe, and aside from the extra creators (which is no small upgrade) the show seems to be a bit of a cookie cutter deal. I hope the new layout aids the promoters in getting some fresh talent along with their usual, but no less talented, creators. This was my first time meeting Paris Cullins and I found him very fan friendly. He added to a Batman family jam.
None of my mini-beefs will keep me from attending the show again. I look forward to their next show. The comic dealers alone make the show worth it for me. Below are some pics from the show.